Rechargeable lithium-air (Li-air) batteries are a potential future energy source for electric vehicles due to their high theoretical energy density, which is the highest of any metal-air batteries at about 11,300 Wh/kg. However, Li-air batteries are not commercially viable due to several factors, such as low demonstrated capacity, poor rate capability, low energy efficiency, and poor cycle life. The capacity and rate capability of Li-air batteries have been found to be influenced by the electrode structure.
The term “electric vehicle” as used herein, includes vehicles having an electric motor for vehicle propulsion, such as battery electric vehicles (BEV), hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV).